As a child, I vividly remember mom taking us to the shoe store when we outgrew our current pair.  There would always be a measurement with a store employee on that metal shoe sizer, followed by selecting a pair, trying them on, “Raise your toe so I can see where it is,” then “Yes, I WOULD like to wear them out of the store.”   But, for a child buying tennis shoes, the most important item on the checklist was, “Stand back so I can see how fast they are,” followed by a blazing run to the end of the aisle and back.  Somehow, there seemed to be “magic” in those new shoes (or maybe it was a magical excuse to be able to run indoors without getting in trouble.)

Now that I’m older, I believe more than ever in the magic of a new pair of shoes.  I have learned over time that the key to learning so many important life lessons—how to have compassion, how to be a servant, how to forgive, how to have humility…how to apply the Golden Rule in general—rests in our ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes (with Dictionary assist: To imagine oneself in the situation or circumstances of another person, so as to understand or empathize with their perspective, opinion, or point of view.)

I think one could argue, in fact, that we are never more Christ-like when we do so.  After all, he left heaven to walk a few thousand miles (and the road to Calvary) in our shoes…

Here is one thing that would complete my joy—come together as one in mind and spirit and purpose, sharing in the same love. Don’t let selfishness and prideful agendas take over. Embrace true humility, and lift your heads to extend love to others. Get beyond yourselves and protecting your own interests; be sincere, and secure your neighbors’ interests first.   Philippians 2:2-4